A silencing on all sides
Film festival cancellation a reflection of what’s happening elsewhere
Hamilton’s Playhouse theatre has taken a beating in the news this past week, with editorials and news stories from the Hollywood Reporter to the Globe and Mail, as well this newspaper (an opinion piece by former Spec publisher Dana Robbins titled, “Cancelling Jewish Film Festival was the wrong move”) criticizing the Playhouse for postponing the festival.
Our mayor said in a public statement that she was “deeply disappointed” by the actions of the Playhouse.
The theatre is being castigated for opting out of the film fest citing “security and safety concerns” during the IsraelGaza conflict, it said in a statement. The Playhouse, which has earned a stellar reputation for showing art films, classics, nonmainstream movies and hosting charitable events, has a large following among Hamilton art lovers. Now its reputation is being damaged with accusations of antisemitism. (The festival will now take place as planned from April 7 to 9 at Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre.)
The festival’s organizers, the Hamilton Jewish Federation, said in a statement that the Playhouse is “prioritizing the will of antisemites.” Jazmin Rymberg, the Hamilton Jewish Federation’s communications co-ordinator, is quoted in the Canadian Jewish News saying that the Playhouse displayed “blatant antisemitism” in its decision.
Are such accusations really fair? There’s more to this story. Consider that the festival was originally scheduled to be held at Hamilton’s Westdale theatre last December — and then was yanked by the Hamilton Jewish Federation after The Westdale did not give in to demands from the federation to stop a screening of “Israelism,” an awardwinning documentary by Jewish filmmakers that examines how Jewish attitudes toward Israel are changing. “Israelism” was sponsored by another local Jewish group, Independent Jewish Voices of Hamilton. It’s “a film by Jews, about Jews, for Jews,” one of the organizers, Rabbi David Mivasair, wrote on X.
Is the Westdale theatre also antisemitic for deciding to go ahead and show this film against the wishes of the Hamilton Jewish Federation? Is the Independent Jewish Voices of Hamilton antisemitic for advocating for a screening of this film?
Explaining its request to prevent the film from being screened at the Westdale, Rymberg is quoted again in the Canadian Jewish News, explaining that “right now is not the appropriate time … it would just inflame an already difficult situation.”
Perhaps that was also the Playhouse’s thinking about postponing the festival (a spokesperson for the Playhouse could not be reached by press time). Now, the Playhouse is in the position of having to defensively declare on its website that it “denounce(s) antisemitism in all its forms,” referencing the fact that it has screened many films by Jewish filmmakers and films with Jewish themes.
No one, except a mad person, wants to be associated with that label. Even the some of the strongest antiwar proponents are afraid that if they question the war in Gaza, they will be labelled thus.
A few months ago, I was involved in a public arts storytelling event, the 6Minute Memoir, that also got shut down due to pressure applied by some people affected by the Israel-Gaza war. Members of the Jewish community, including the Hamilton Jewish Federation, contacted myself as well as officials of the First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, where the event was to be held and where I am a member, to ask us to remove Sarah Jama, then the New Democrat MPP for Hamilton Centre, from the event or not hold the event at the church.
I had invited Jama to be part of the event months before the war broke out. She, along with a dozen others, was to share a story on the theme of the night, which was “Trials and Tribulations.” Jama was going to speak about her time as a high school student fighting for an elevator to be installed at her school (she uses a wheelchair because of her disability).
As the event approached last October, Jama became embroiled in a storm of controversy for calling for a ceasefire soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre. Jama also condemned Israel’s “decadeslong occupation of Palestine.” She did not directly mention the Hamas massacre in her initial statements, a huge error in judgment which she apologized for the next day.
She was then accused of antisemitism by Premier Doug Ford, censured in the house and fired from her party (today she sits as an independent and is still censured).
Internal discussions among us organizers were fraught about what to do. I sought — and received — assurances from Jama that she would not use the event to speak about the war.
No one at our church wanted to upset the Jewish community. Disinviting Jama was not an option, as that would upset the Palestinian community, among many others. Some of the speakers became nervous about sharing their intensely personal stories at an event in front of hundreds of people, where there was the potential for protest or something worse. At the time, it just didn’t feel safe.
The church made the decision to postpone the event and I supported that decision. But it upset many people in the community who felt we should have gone ahead with the event as planned.
What’s happened with arts events like these in Hamilton is a reflection of what’s happening elsewhere. Many cultural institutions in North America and Europe have cancelled events due to sensitivities and security around the Israel-Gaza conflict. The majority of these events were to feature Palestinian artists, whose works included plays, literary festival appearances, lectures, art exhibitions and more.
In the case of the Playhouse, of course, it’s a Jewish event. But something similar happened with a Palestinian film festival scheduled for Rochester, N.Y., last fall. It was postponed after criticism from the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester. The theatre cited safety concerns.
There has been a silencing on all sides. ANNE BOKMA IS A WRITER LIVING IN HAMILTON.